Mikel Arteta waving to the Arsenal crowd
Arsenal are now said to have received an offer for Gabriel Martinelli from a Champions League club. The Gunners are yet to address the left wing position, with Bruno Guimaraes the only major signing so far, with the midfielder arriving on a £75million deal from Newcastle United, but an attacking signing is expected over the course of the coming weeks.
Arsenal initially pursued Aston Villa's Morgan Rogers only to be beaten to the signing by Chelsea, who were willing to spend significantly more, while PSG star Bradley Barcola is said to be a serious option, but he too could cost huge money this summer.
What is clear is that Mikel Arteta is not satisfied with the production he has got on the left side of late, and even Leandro Trossard was allowed to leave on the back of one of his best seasons in an Arsenal shirt. Christos Tzolis arrived to replace the Belgian, and it's now likely that Martinelli will make way for whichever elite left-winger the Gunners decide to sign.
Martinelli was expected to go to the very top of the game, and he still might, only recently turning 25 years of age, but he lacks the true cutting edge required to complete an Arsenal attack that wants to be at the level of PSG and Bayern Munich.
Arsenal would perhaps keep Martinelli in an ideal world, but given their giant spend over the last few seasons, they are going to have to balance their spending, especially if their new winger is going to cost them more than £100million, which could well be the case.
Action Images via Reuters/Peter Cziborra
According to transfer guru and Sky Sports Germany reporter Florian Plettenberg, Turkish giants Galatasaray are now expressing an interest in Martinelli, already making an offer. He posted on X: "More on the exclusive news: There is no agreement yet between Gabriel Martinelli and Galatasaray. Galatasaray’s main priority is now to reach an agreement with Arsenal first. The €45m offer including add-ons was submitted in writing today. Rafael Leao remains on their shortlist, but a deal would be very difficult to realise. Martinelli is internally considered Galatasaray’s current top target for the wing." The €45million offer works out as £38.4million.
Gabriel Martinelli's 2025/26 Premier League statistics
Appearances: 30
Goals: 1
Assists: 4
Key Passes: 0.4 per game
Dribbles: 0.7 per game
Average WhoScored rating: 6.39
Arteta is a big fan of Martinelli's
martinelli arsenal
While Arteta doesn't appear to see Martinelli as the elite winger he needs, he has always issued high praise of the Brazilian. He said only last year after a Champions League game: “He fully deserved it. I adore Gabriel: his attitude, his commitment, his positivity, what he’s willing to do for the team.
"I was sure that Gabby was going to react like that. He has such a mentality. He’s constantly willing to learn, very demanding with himself and hopefully that gives him the confidence again because he is an outstanding player.”